Colorizing Old Photos: A 1923 Thanksgiving Tablescape

Colorizing Old Photos: A 1923 Thanksgiving Tablescape

Library of CongressOur Ancestors' ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving! This 1920s table is set for a holiday meal. In 1923, the Underwood Co., publisher of stereoviews, sold this image. I'm not sure the intent of the picture, but perhaps it shows a model for our ancestors' idea of the perfect holiday meal. You...

Happy Thanksgiving! This 1920s table is set for a holiday meal. In 1923, the Underwood Co., publisher of stereoviews, sold this image. I’m not sure the intent of the picture, but perhaps it shows a model for our ancestors’ idea of the perfect holiday meal.

You can tell a story with a single picture. What do you see in this image?

two chairs

two candles

two place settings

a turkey (or perhaps a large chicken)

a cloth table covering

a basket cornucopia of fruits and vegetables (the centerpiece)

Besides the table, this room has a hanging lamp, a couple of pictures on the wall and a combination sideboard/hutch (on the right).

This picture gives us insight into the holiday festivities for this mythical couple. It’s a time capsule of Thanksgiving in 1923.

This particular image tells us that only two people were at dinner and that the turkey/chicken was the main part of the meal.

Have you ever taken a picture of your holiday table before everyone sits down? I have. It helps me remember what we had for dinner that year, how I decorated the table (now called a “tablescape” on the decorating shows), how many people came, and who brought what dish.

Colorize Old Pictures for a Look at Your Ancestor’s World

It’s easy to imagine our ancestors’ world as black and white, but of course they were surrounded by color. Algorithmia is a free site that helps you colorize black-and-white pictures to bring them closer to a real-life view.

It’s easy to use. Upload a picture to the site and see a comparison of the image in black and white, and color. You can move the purple line to see where the tinting happens. In this case, the stark-looking setting becomes a warm dining room.

Here’s the colored image. Notice that not all of the items on the table were colorized. This isn’t a professionally Photoshopped colorization with historically accurate shades, but it does enable you to quickly take a different look at your pictures.

You can download the comparison and the final colorized image, albeit with the site’s watermark.

This Thanksgiving, take a break from the after-dinner clean-up and see how this site transforms your old family photos. The dishes can wait.